Chicago – Attorney General Lisa Madigan today announced that Iroquois County Clerk Mark Henrichs was found guilty Thursday of theft, forgery and official misconduct charges following a four day trial in Watseka. The Attorney General's office prosecuted the case at the request of the Iroquois County State's Attorney's office.

"This case boiled down to a clear attempt to deceive the taxpayers of Iroquois County, the very constituency that elected Mr. Henrichs to serve them in the clerk's office," Madigan said.

In December 2007, a grand jury indicted Henrichs, 53, of Buckley, on charges of stealing $17,500 from the county. Earlier that year, Henrichs obtained a check from Iroquois County that he said was for the purchase of a recreational trailer that could be used as an emergency polling place in the county. An investigation by the Iroquois County Sheriff and Madigan's office revealed that Henrichs himself had purchased the trailer more than a year earlier and through a series of transactions involving a used car dealer in Chicago, forged documents in his attempt to make it appear the county purchased the trailer. A check of the Vehicle Identification Number revealed that Henrichs owned the trailer.

Judge William Schmidt set November 6, 2009, for a sentencing hearing on the felony convictions. Henrichs remains free on bond.

With the conviction, Attorney General Madigan said state election law provides that the office of county clerk is vacant.

Assistant Attorney General Mary Bucaro, deputy chief of Attorney General Madigan's Public Integrity Unit and Senior Assistant Attorney General Neal Goodfriend of Madigan's Special Prosecutions Bureau prosecuted the case for the Attorney General's office.